Stenhammar: String Quartets No 5 & 6 / Stenhammar Quartet
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Stenhammar: String Quartets No 5 & 6 / Stenhammar Quartet

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Details

Composer
STENHAMMAR, WILHELM
Artist
STENHAMMAR QUARTET
Format
SACD
Discs
1
Label
BIS
Released
Oct 29, 2013
Catalog #
BIS-2009
UPC
7318599920092

About

STENHAMMAR  String Quartets: No. 5 in C, op. 29, “Serenade;” in f; No. 6 in d, op.35 • Stenhammar Qrt • BIS 2009 (SACD: 65:20)


Here is the Stenhammar Quartet’s second installment in its survey of works for string quartet by the ensemble’s namesake composer, Wilhelm Stenhammar. It follows quickly on the heels of Volume 1, which was reviewed only in the last issue (37:3).


Much of what was said about the previous release applies to this one, and so soon after, needn’t be repeated. If you’re familiar with Stenhammar’s late-blooming Romantic idiom in general, and his string quartets in particular, the three works on this disc further reinforce the composer’s consistency in craftsmanship and style.


The three-way comparison I made last time in reviewing Volume 1 of this cycle, which contained the String Quartets Nos. 3 and 4, was between the Stenhammar, Oslo, and Gotland Quartets. Here, with the Nos. 5 and 6, the comparison is again between the Stenhammer and Oslo Quartets, and this time the Fresk Quartet in No. 5 and the Copenhagen Quartet in No. 6—the record label, Caprice, split the quartets up among three ensembles. So here are the results of the present comparison


Quartet No. 5


Ensemble I II III IV Total
Fresk Quartet 5:07 7:30 1:54 4:14 18:45
Oslo Quartet 5:29 7:30 2:26 4:32 19:57
Stenhammar Quartet 5:13 7:29 1:58 4:15 18:55





Quartet No. 6


Ensemble I II III IV Total
Copenhagen 7:48 2:44 7:48 6:02 24:22
Oslo Quartet 8:14 3:08 7:53 6:03 25:18
Stenhammar Quartet 7:12 2:44 8:08 6:00 24:04





The outcome is pretty much the same as before. The previous comparison found the Stenhammar Quartet taking a middle-of-the-road approach, tempo-wise, between the slightly quicker-paced Gotland Quartet and the generally slower-paced Oslo Quartet. That conclusion is reaffirmed here, even allowing for the two different ensembles, the Fresk and the Copenhagen, taking the place of the Gotland in the Fifth and Sixth Quartets, respectively. With minor exceptions, the Stenhammar’s timings fall in between those of the other ensembles, and end up closer in total to their Swedish (Fresk) and Danish (Copenhagen) counterparts than to their Norwegian (Oslo) colleagues.


It’s with good reason that Stenhammar’s circa 1910 Fifth Quartet carries the nickname “Serenade,” for it’s an easygoing, genial, breezy, spontaneous-sounding, melodious work that has much in common with Hugo Wolf’s much earlier (1887) Italian Serenade and Dag Wirén’s much later (1937) Serenade for Strings. But, personally, I find Stenhammar’s score prettier than the former and better put together than the latter; and it’s performed by the Stenhammar Quartet’s players with much warmth and affection.


By virtue of its minor key, the Sixth Quartet, dated 1916, is necessarily a somewhat less upbeat-sounding piece, but Stenhammar doesn’t seem to have had it in him to compose a dark, tragic-sounding work. The score frequently veers off into sunnier, major-key climes for lovely, song-filled melodies.


The unnumbered String Quartet in F Minor, date 1897, is an equally engaging piece, which, in its melodic contours and rhythmic patterns, more than occasionally calls Dvo?ák to mind. If you’re just beginning to explore Stenhammar’s string quartet output, I’d strongly suggest you start with this disc. The music is as ear-pleasing and emotionally satisfying as anyone could ask for, and the performances by this outstanding Scandinavian ensemble, complemented by BIS’s vibrant SACD recording, make this an unqualified recommendation.


FANFARE: Jerry Dubins

Tracklist 12 tracks

  1. 1 I. Allegro molto con spirito 05:13
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro molto con spirito
    Duration
    05:13
    Composer
    Wilhelm Stenhammar
    Ensemble
    Stenhammar Quartet
  2. 2 II. Ballata: Allegretto scherzando 07:29
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Ballata: Allegretto scherzando
    Duration
    07:29
    Composer
    Wilhelm Stenhammar
    Ensemble
    Stenhammar Quartet
  3. 3 III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace 01:58
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
    Duration
    01:58
    Composer
    Wilhelm Stenhammar
    Ensemble
    Stenhammar Quartet
  4. 4 IV. Finale: Allegro molto 04:15
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Finale: Allegro molto
    Duration
    04:15
    Composer
    Wilhelm Stenhammar
    Ensemble
    Stenhammar Quartet
  5. 5 I. Allegro 06:14
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    06:14
    Composer
    Wilhelm Stenhammar
    Ensemble
    Stenhammar Quartet
  6. 6 II. Adagio. Con intimissimo sentimento, poco scherzando 06:29
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Adagio. Con intimissimo sentimento, poco scherzando
    Duration
    06:29
    Composer
    Wilhelm Stenhammar
    Ensemble
    Stenhammar Quartet
  7. 7 III. Allegro giocoso 03:52
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Allegro giocoso
    Duration
    03:52
    Composer
    Wilhelm Stenhammar
    Ensemble
    Stenhammar Quartet
  8. 8 IV. Allegretto 04:04
    Track
    8
    Title
    IV. Allegretto
    Duration
    04:04
    Composer
    Wilhelm Stenhammar
    Ensemble
    Stenhammar Quartet
  9. 9 I. Tempo moderato, sempre un poco rubato 07:12
    Track
    9
    Title
    I. Tempo moderato, sempre un poco rubato
    Duration
    07:12
    Composer
    Wilhelm Stenhammar
    Ensemble
    Stenhammar Quartet
  10. 10 II. Allegro vivace 02:44
    Track
    10
    Title
    II. Allegro vivace
    Duration
    02:44
    Composer
    Wilhelm Stenhammar
    Ensemble
    Stenhammar Quartet
  11. 11 III. Poco adagio 08:08
    Track
    11
    Title
    III. Poco adagio
    Duration
    08:08
    Composer
    Wilhelm Stenhammar
    Ensemble
    Stenhammar Quartet
  12. 12 IV. Presto 06:00
    Track
    12
    Title
    IV. Presto
    Duration
    06:00
    Composer
    Wilhelm Stenhammar
    Ensemble
    Stenhammar Quartet